Polish unionists march against government policy

Thousands of Polish labor union members are marching through Warsaw throwing smoke grenades and blowing whistles to show the level of their discontent with the government's labor and wage policies.

The demonstrators converged on Warsaw from all over Poland on Saturday, the last of four days of major protests in the capital that also included meeting with politicians and debates with labor market experts. The organizers - Poland's largest union, OPZZ, Solidarity and groups representing various professions - are expecting more than 100,000 participants.

They say the policies of the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk hurt the interests of workers and of their families. The government is rapidly losing popularity after recently raising the retirement age, announcing a reform of the pension system and relaxing some labor code provisions.